People Change, the Past Remains
by Rowan Salazar
Summary: Draco and Ginny considered each other best friends years before they started at Hogwarts. However, a mistake on Ginny's part left Draco with a serious hatred of her. After three years in Hogwarts as enemies, they must tolerate one another in a mutualistic relationship. But soon, the relationship becomes more complicated than either of them expected. Tom Riddle joins the equation...
1. 16 March 1989

**Disclaimer –** I do not own Harry Potter or anything created by J.K. Rowling and/or Warner Bros., but I do own everything you don't recognize (i.e. the plot/storyline, certain characters, certain settings, etc.)

* * *

People Change, the Past Remains by Rowan Salazar

FanFic Summary: For as long as they had known each other, Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley considered one another best friends, perhaps more. Of course, all of this took place a few years before they started at Hogwarts. They're forced to separate on the worst of terms after Ginny made a mistake. From then on, Draco believed Ginny was a wretched girl who couldn't be trusted. After an unforgettable encounter on the Hogwarts Express, Ginny and Draco developed an instant relationship of hatred and animosity that lasted the next three years at Hogwarts. Those years involved nothing but conflicts between the two. But, during Draco's fifth year and Ginny's fourth, grades became a huge factor in both of their lives. They will be forced to accept each other's help in their studies to appease their respective parents. During this year, they end up developing some unexpected feelings that rekindle their friendship. The next year, however, will bring only when Tom Riddle enters the picture. And he's not just after Draco. He's after Ginny, too.

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_**Part I : Chapter One : Runaway**_

'Twas a rather lazy evening around the town of Ottery St. Catchpole and the sun was only just still in the sky. The orange flush it gave still lingered over the countryside. On the outskirts of the town, the woods were filled with a calm murmur of various birds and creatures. Neither bears nor any other beasts could be found within many, many miles of this serene forest. But there _was_ a girl.

She was running as fast as she could, as though she was fleeing from You-Know-Who. She was not older than maybe six or even seven years old. She was a small thing with fiery red hair and wearing a jean overall dress. The patchwork was easily made out, making it look more frayed and worn than it actually was. Her brown boots looked as dirty as they could get.

Dodging the logs and branches blocking her path was not a very easy task, especially since her vision was obscured by tears. She let out a yelp when her dress suddenly caught on a branch, tripping her. She tumbled painfully to the ground, and she instinctively used her hands to catch herself. The impact was painful nonetheless.

When she got up, she saw the scrapes and rawness on her hands. There was some blood on her knee, but her dress covered the wound from view. Her tears had slowly stopped trailing down her face by this point. It's not like she was crying about banging up her knee or scraping her hands. She wasn't a baby.

She didn't really want to think about the real reason behind her tears. It was completely selfish, and she knew it. She sniffled a little, wiping her tear-streaked, blotchy face with the back of her forearm. She contemplated going back home, realizing how much they would worry and how much trouble she would be in._  
_

A nearby rustling interrupted her thoughts. Her head turned to the left and she saw a shadow disappearing from view. Her head swivelled to the right when she heard it again. According to her family (mainly her brothers), these woods were filled with all kinds of dangerous animals. Bears, snakes, and even Dementors!

She took off again, not paying much attention to where she was going now. She just wanted to get away from whatever was out there. She didn't know how long she ran, but to her small body, it felt like hours. She very nearly ran straight into the river upon reaching its clearing, but she stopped at its bank just in time. Following the river's path with her eyes, she couldn't see where it ended or began. The river wasn't too wide, but it looked dangerous. The water was moving quickly in furious rapids, and it was frothing on the surface. Across the river was more forest.

Ginny had enough common sense to know that attempting to cross this river could only lead to disaster. Besides, she no longer heard the rustling, and felt she had run far enough.

Ginny turned to face the direction she had come from, but she stopped halfway when she saw something oddly out of place. A boy was looking straight at her from farther down her side of the river. He was looking at her like she was crazy, but Ginny stared at him in plain shock. What were the chances of finding someone else out in the middle of the woods? Neither kid moved. For a few moments, it seemed as though the forest grew completely silent.

More rustling coming from nearby shattered the silence. Both children turned their heads towards the area of the forest Ginny had come out of as squirrel ran up a tree trunk.

Ginny let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. She place a hand over her heart in a rather dramatic way. Her breath was ragged from the run. Her body was not yet ready for such physical labour, plus crying out all those tears had left her quite thirsty. She hunched over, bracing her hands on her thighs like a marathon runner in need of a break.

"You know, squirrels aren't that scary. I'd understand if you were running from a dragon or something, but a squirrel?"

The boy's voice was sarcastic and cold, nearly sending a chill down the young girl's spine. Unused to such icy words, she straightened up and turned her eyes on him. He had maybe a year or two on Ginny. He had really light brown hair reaching down to the top of his eyebrows in a bed-head look. It looked like it hadn't been brushed in quite some time. His face was a bit too angular for a kid, and he looked awfully dainty.

He seemed to look her over with analytical eyes, looking from her worn old boots to the top of her red, shoulder-length hair. All the while, he wore a condescending look. Ginny's temper flared a bit, so she crossed her arms across her chest and raised her chin.

"You know, dragons don't exist," she told him, her voice as matter-of-fact as she could make it.

"Yes they do," he informed her, sounding more confident than she felt.

"Oh, I thought you were a Muggle. So you're a wiz–?" she paused at the murderous glare he sent her.

"I most certainly am not a low-life Muggle," he informed her in a contemptuous way, "I am a pure-blood wizard. My blood's as pure as Salazar Slytherin himself! I'm guessing you're a mudblood then."

Ginny was slightly taken aback by his reaction, and she gasped when he said the m-word. She didn't fail to notice the accusatory tone in his voice when he said she must be a _mudblood_.

"You're not allowed to say that! My mum says it's a horrid name that isn't allowed in our home. Your mum probably doesn't want you saying it neither," she rambled. She told this boy because it seemed like the right thing to do. Surely he didn't know what the word meant if he threw it around so casually. "Besides, I'm a pureblood, like you," she added, approaching him.

"I'm well aware of the fact that it's a bad word," he informed her. That surprised her. "And you and I are nothing alike! Just look at you, in patched-up old rags and not real clothing," he insulted, glaring at the overall dress she wore. "You and your family must love Muggles, seeing as how you're just as filthy as they are," he added.

"Who do you think you are, to go 'round saying stuff like that?" she demanded, her hands going to her hips as she continued to look at him. Fury was building in her, turning her cheeks red as she fumed. She couldn't believe him!

The boy smirked at her, brushing aside his light brown bangs with a rather haughty air. "Draco Malfoy, the heir to the Malfoy estate in Wiltshire, England."

"Well, I'm Ginevra Molly Weasley. I'm the first girl born into the Weasley line for generations, and proud of it!" she declared just as haughtily. "My family could beat your family easy! People who think like you are just bullies," she said naïvely, not knowing exactly who the Malfoys were. She assumed that they were just a bunch of jerks who kept to themselves and their Muggle-hating ways.

"I'd like to see you and your family try."

Ginny then proceeded to shove the older boy as hard as she could. He fell to the ground out of surprise, not because she was strong enough to knock him down (she definitely wasn't).

"Still think we haven't got a chance?" she asked furiously, her cheeks still flaming red with anger. Draco was shocked, and he looked down at his hand which had landed on an awkwardly-placed stick. There was a little blood from a decent sized cut, but no permanent damage. He slowly got to his feet and, for a moment, Ginny thought he might hit her back.

"You're so lucky you're a girl, Ginevra," he said, examining his scraped hand. "I cannot believe that you just did that…" he added, sounding awestruck and looking at her as if she were an alien.

Ginny's temper dissipated when she realized what she had just done. Her muddy brown eyes widened considerably as she gaped at him. She shouldn't have pushed him. She'd never really hurt anyone before (except her brothers, but they didn't count). She wasn't a violent child; actually, she was the complete opposite. She hated when her brothers fought for real, and she was always trying to keep the peace back home.

"Merlin! Draco, I'm sorry! It's just that you were making me so mad!" she said, looking anxiously at the tiny amount of blood across the palm of his hand. She really hadn't meant to hurt him… Okay, so she had, but she hadn't thought of the consequences!

"Is your hand okay?" she asked, looking deeply concerned.

"Meh, don't worry about it. It's just a scratch," he dismissed, shoving his hand into his pocket and averting his eyes. He was a little embarrassed about having her so worried about him. Usually, only house elves would enquire to his well-being, and that's only because if they didn't, they would have to punish themselves. Ginevra seemed much better company than those toe rags, though.

He glanced again at the redhead. It was rare that he met kids whom his parents hadn't approved of first. Father insisted he only collaborate with those who are worthy of his attention, and only if he had something worthwhile to gain from their acquaintanceship (Draco assumed that was a fancy way of saying friendship). He couldn't see anything that he had to gain from Ginevra. He offered Ginevra a wry grin. His parents would never approve, and that was the deciding factor.

"No hard feelings. I shouldn't have said those things, I'm sorry," he said, a boyish look coming over his face. His parents would have had a heart attack! Malfoys never said sorry, especially when they weren't even asked for an apology.

"Wanna be friends, Ginevra?" Draco offered, his lip twitching as he held back a snarky smirk. He held out his hand to her.

Ginny was surprised, to say the least. Just a moment ago, that stuck up brat had been saying awful things and being nasty. Maybe she'd knocked some sense into him? He sounded awfully sincere, and Ginny smiled. Wait until Ron heard about her meeting a new friend!

She took his hand as she spoke, "Call me Ginny, though." Draco agreed, and they shook on it.

"So where's your family? Are you guys camping or something?" Ginny asked after they had released hands. She was not so sure where they stood with each other now. He hadn't seemed mad or anything, but you can never be too careful.

Upon closer inspection, the way he dressed did not suggest a camping trip. He was wearing a pair of relatively clean black slacks and a white, button-up dress shirt. The shirt had obviously been altered: the sleeves were torn off, probably by Draco himself, revealing skinny arms. He had an expensive-looking cloak tied around his waist, too, which his scraped hand was still shoved into.

"Not exactly," Draco mumbled, turning away from the now-confused Ginny. He started walking towards a row of bushes covered in berries. Ginny followed closely behind.

"You know, as friends, you're not supposed to keep secrets," she complained, crossing her arms as she followed.

Draco hadn't known that before. Father always told him to never let anyone know how he was feeling unless he could trust them with his life. He said you can't trust friends with your life, only family. But sometimes, his father lied about things. Draco knew that much. For once, he decided to take someone else's word as opposed to his father's.

"Well, I ran away from home and I don't want to go back."

Ginny hadn't expected him to tell her, but apparently she'd done something to change his mind. "Isn't your family going to worry, though?"

"They don't care about me, so probably not," Draco mumbled in reply. He examined the berry bush with careful eyes. He was hungry, and hadn't eaten since yesterday evening. As he was reaching out towards a particularly large, navy blue berry, Ginny's hand appeared and smacked his away.

"Those are poisonous, you idiot!" she snapped, looking at Draco as if he had lost his mind. "Are you sure that you're cut out to have run away to the woods? No offence, but you don't seem very outdoorsy."

"Either way, I'm not going home. I'd rather starve than go back to that place," he said stubbornly, scowling as he turned away.

"Hey, um, where are you staying anyway?" she wondered, excitement entering her voice. "Can I come see?"

Draco shrugged his shoulders but did not turn around. "I'm going there now. Come or don't, I don't care," he said, though his stomach dropped when he thought of being all alone again.

Ginny ran up to him and matched pace as he headed deeper into the forest. It was only then that she noticed how much darker it was than when she had run off from home. She glanced towards the sky and couldn't make out where the sun was. There was just a very light orange glow, and she could even see some stars appearing.

"Where are we?" she asked, squinting around at the surrounding area. Her eyes weren't easily adjusting to the darkness.

"I dunno exactly," Draco told her honestly. "I found this place yesterday," he elaborated, pushing aside a rather large tangle of branches to reveal a very small clearing. It was only big enough to fit the tent.. In this clearing was a tent, which Ginny recognized as a magical tent. She'd never been in one, but Bill had, and he explained it to her once.

"Sure looks like you're camping," Ginny commented, stepping into the clearing. Draco released the branches and watched them swing back into place. Ginny didn't even wait for an invitation before entering the tent.

As he entered the tent, Draco couldn't help the small smile that crawled on his face at her amazement.

"Surely you've seen a magical tent before, right? You seem the 'outdoorsy' type."

Ginny shook her head, looking around in wonder. It was incredible! They had stepped into a living room. There was a kitchen to the right, straight ahead behind the living room was a dining room, and to the left there was a large bedroom, and all of it looked so luxurious! There were expensive-looking pottery and furniture, and the couch in the middle of the room they'd entered looked like black leather. Even the rugs and carpeting seemed luxurious, and looked like it'd be soft.

"This is wicked awesome! You could live out here for forever!" she said excitedly, looking towards Draco.

"I'm just glad I thought to grab this before I left home," he said, collapsing on the couch over one of the arm rests. Ginny giggled a bit, seeing that he had literally just flopped down. His messy, light brown hair was the only part of his head she could see, his face being buried into one of the cushions.

Draco lifted his head and tried to glare at her. His face kept breaking out into a smile, though. He sat up, kicking off his shoes and tossing the robe from his waist to the floor. He was really taking advantage of the fact that he didn't have house elves watching his every move and reporting to his parents.

"How'd you get out here? Do you live nearby?" she wondered, taking off her own shoes as well, then sitting a foot away from him.

"Well, long story short, I think I might have done a bit of under-age magic after running away. Somehow I ended up in this forest, which I don't recognize. I managed to grab this tent and some food before coming here, and put it all in a backpack. Took me a while to figure out how to set it up, though," he explained, relaxing against the couch. "I regret not bringing more food."

"You're out already?"

Draco nodded solemnly, not really wanting to talk about it. He was becoming more aware of the hunger pains in his stomach.

"When did you last eat, then?" she asked, sounding concerned.

"Yesterday."

"How about I bring you some food then?"

Draco looked over at the girl sceptically. "What do I have to do for you, then?" he asked warily. Ginny gave him a look that said she didn't understand. "In exchange for the food, what do I have to give you?" Draco said, exasperated.

Ginny thought he was kidding, but he looked dead serious.

"You're so weird, Draco," she finally said. He looked at her as if offended. She started to laugh at the look on his face and he narrowed his eyes. Had he just become friends with a lunatic? Maybe Father was right about these people.

"I'll give it to you free of charge. I thought we were going to be friends, after all," she said once she'd stifled the giggles. His look of seriousness had been ridiculous. He seemed so snooty at times, but in a funny way! "I'll bring you something tomorrow, as soon as I get the chance."

Draco was still a bit offended by her laughing at him, but this new piece of information delighted him. Apparently, you didn't have to pay friends for favours.

"All right then," he agreed, watching as Ginny gave a long yawn and rubbed her eyes. He was feeling quite tired himself. Having no food probably meant you have no energy. "So, uh, don't you think you should get back to your home now?"

Ginny's eyes seemed to widen. She got up and headed for the tent doorway, pushing aside the flap.

"Um…perhaps I could stay here for the night?" she asked, looking into the inky darkness of the outdoors. The sun had disappeared, and as far as she knew.

Draco shrugged when she looked over at him. "Suit yourself. We can camp out here in the living room," he said, hiding his excitement at the idea. Having company would be a welcome change from being alone. He had house elves for company at the Manor, and sometimes his mother would be with him, but it was never much fun with them. It was really rare that Father spent time with him, and when he did, it wasn't ever… pleasant. At all.

Draco went into the bedroom and grabbed the large feather pillows from the queen-sized bed he'd been sleeping in. They were so large that he could only hold one at a time. He dumped each on the carpet in the living room, then went back for the comforter.

"You sure it's okay that I stay here tonight?" she asked as he re-entered the living room. She was sitting quietly on the couch again. Draco looked over at her and watched her eyes start to droop. He felt a bit amused since she looked like she was barely able to keep her eyes open, let alone ask if it was okay to stay here.

"No Ginny. I've had a change of heart and you need to leave now," he said in an amused tone of voice. Ginny actually laughed. Who knew he had a sense of humour?

"I'm sure. It's kind of nice to have a bit of company after three days on my own," he said with another shrug of his shoulders. "Come here and help me with this," Draco said, gesturing to the coffee table in front of the couch. He grabbed one end and she grabbed the other. Together, they managed to move it far enough away from the couch to lay out the comforter.

"You take the couch, I'll take the floor," Draco said. Ginny was a little taken aback, but was too tired to argue at this point. She imagined that with carpeting like this, it probably wasn't that bad sleeping on the floor anyway. She yawned and took the pillow he offered her. She sat on the couch and watched as he put the other pillow on the floor right next to the couch.

"Thanks, Draco," she said, lying down on the pillow. The cool leather of the couch was actually quite comfortable as she settled down. From his place on the ground, he tossed the comforter over her and there was still plenty falling over the end of the couch for him.

She turned with her back to Draco and facing the back of the couch. She closed her eyes and her Draco saying goodnight. "Goodnight," she mumbled, falling asleep instantly.

Draco, however, was up for at least an hour more, fearing that the nightmares may come back. Eventually, the sounds of Ginny's breaths lulled him to sleep. Later on, he would be shocked when he realized that he hadn't had any nightmares.

**-PC, TPR-**

Ginny awoke to a blinding pain. "Ouch!" she complained, finding herself clutching her head. She rolled off of something and landed on the floor immediately.

"Gods, Ginny! You could've just woken me up with a simple 'Morning!'" Draco said from beside her, where he was sitting up and clutching his head. Ginny had rolled off the couch and she must have landed on Draco, leaving them both in pain.

"Sorry," Ginny murmured, getting to her feet, one hand still on her head. "Well… I should really head home. My mum and dad and brother are all probably worried about me," she told him hurriedly, knowing she was probably going to have a bump on her head the size of an egg. "Maybe you can come with me, you know. My mum would love to have another mouth to feed and she could help you with your family. She loves helping people, and she's an amazing cook."

"Listen, I'm sure your mum is great and everything, but she'll call my parents. I don't want to go home," he said with a dismissive shrug. The relaxed grin on his face soon turned to a grimace. "You have a really hard head," he complained with a snicker, his hand still rubbing his head. "Just promise not to tell anyone about me, all right?"

Ginny nodded. "Okay, I promise. I'll come back to see you whenever I can. I'll bring you some of my mum's cooking. It's really good," she told him, her eyes lighting up at the prospect. She was obviously proud to have such a doting mother.

Draco nodded back, turning away again.

"Hope you know what you're getting yourself into out here," she said merrily, already turned away and headed towards the tent entrance. She pushed aside the flap to show the very dimly lit trees. It looked as if it was barely dawn. "Wish me luck getting back," she said with a last wave goodbye.

Draco nodded. "Good luck."

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**Author's Note – **Sorry about the delay. By the way, I'm trying to learn British spelling (I'm American, if you couldn't tell), so any corrections my British readers could alert me of would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Any reviews are also appreciated. I don't have a beta, so if there are any mistakes, my apologies. Hope you continue to read.

**Sneak Peak ****– **"…_would have to leave eventually. She knew she was being selfish. His family was looking…"_


	2. Late March 1989

**Disclaimer –** I do not own Harry Potter or anything created by J.K. Rowling and/or Warner Bros., but I do own everything you don't recognize (i.e. the plot/storyline, certain characters, certain settings, etc.)

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People Change, the Past Remains by Rowan Salazar

**Recap – **_"'Hope you know what you're getting yourself into out here,' she said merrily, already turned away and headed towards the tent entrance. She pushed aside the flap to show the very dimly lit trees. It looked as if it was barely dawn. 'Wish me luck getting back,' she said with a last wave goodbye._

_Draco nodded. 'Good luck.'"_

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_**Part I :**** Chapter Two : Naïve**_

It took nearly an hour until she found her way home.

"Ginevra! Ginny!"

Her family was calling for her, and although it was faint, Ginny felt rejuvenated and ran to the source. Within minutes, she was engulfed in the hugs from her dad and her closest brother. According to them, her mum was searching elsewhere. Ginny was a bit grateful she had not been found by her mother, for she knew she would be receiving a harsh punishment for running off overnight.

The kids headed back to the Burrow while their dad went looking for their mum. Ginny was very relieved that her dad would be able to calm her mum beforehand. She and Ron walked in a rather uncomfortable silence. Ron kept glancing over at her hoping to catch her eye, but never getting the chance because Ginny kept her eyes glued to the ground in front of her.

When they got back to the Burrow, Ginny settled herself into a stool in the kitchen, feeling both embarrassed by her brother's stare, and worried about her mother's reaction.

"Gin, you really shouldn't run away like that. You had mum and dad bugging out about you. They kept me up all night to keep watch for you, and they even considered calling back Fred and George to help look for you." Ron said, setting a bowl of oatmeal, along with a spoon, in front of Ginny. Ginny glanced up at him gratefully for the food, but otherwise kept silent as she began to eat.

She knew she was in for it as soon as their mother walked through the door, and she didn't feel like getting lectured by her brother. Being as close as they were, Ron could sense his sister's reluctance to talk about it, so he let the subject drop. Instead, he noticed Ginny's state of disarray, including her scraped knee. Hopefully, his mum wouldn't be too hard on her and not even heal it.

Ginny felt extremely guilty for having worried them all so much. Although three of her brothers were away at Hogwarts, and Fred and George had gone to some camping party with a Muggle friend for the past few days, her parents and Ron had worried enough to stay up all night. And she had just been sleeping the night away with Draco.

Ginny kept her eyes downcast, now looking at her half-full bowl. Her appetite had suddenly disappeared, which was quite incredulous considering she hadn't had anything to eat since yesterday afternoon.

The kitchen door flew open, banging against the wall with a great amount of force. It was enough to make both Ginny and Ron jump.

A plump, red-headed woman swooped into the kitchen and made a beeline for Ginny. Ginny flinched at first, but her mother wrapped her warm, encompassing arms around the seven-year-old girl in a not-so-gentle embrace. Ginny attempted wriggling out of her mum's grip, but it was to little avail.

Her dad eventually coaxed her mum into releasing her, but now her mother had dropped the worried expression, replacing it with one reserved for punishments. "Ginevra Molly!"

Ginny sat there on her kitchen stool, looking up from her stool at her mother as she began to reprimand her. Her freckled cheeks were pink from embarrassment and shame, and she just hoped she wouldn't end up crying from it all. She'd done enough crying the day before.

"I understand you were upset about not being able to go to the camp, but that gave you no right to worry us so much!" Molly Weasley told her youngest child. Ginny's mud-brown eyes were unwavering as she took the reprimanding in stride, not daring to look away from her mother's face. The lack of response from her daughter was making Molly only more upset with her daughter. Ron was standing near the doorway that led deeper into the Burrow, and their dad was standing next to his wife, noting how remorseful Ginny looked.

"I expected a more mature response from my daughter. You are an intelligent young witch, and you'll be turning eight in a few months. You cannot be running off whenever you want, especially into those woods. Did the lectures your father and I gave you about those woods teach you nothing? No more of this running away business, understand? It's dangerous and inappropriate behaviour for a witch like yourself!"

Mrs. Weasley turned away from her daughter for a moment to talk to Arthur. Ginny could feel her warm face seem to grow only warmer as she sat there, not daring to move as her mother bid her father goodbye. He was late for work because of Ginny, and Ginny was feeling more guilty by the minute. After a few moments that Arthur and Molly talked, Arthur turned to Ron and Ginny. Ginny averted her eyes from her father, feeling a sting in her eyes.

"Be good for your mum, kids. She only has your best intentions at heart," Arthur said, ruffling Ronald's hair and then leaning down to his daughter. She reluctantly lifted her eyes to meet her father's blue ones. She had always envied his blue eyes.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. Your mother isn't going to be too hard on you. Maybe we can save up for that camp next year, okay?" he said, placing a kiss on his young daughter's forehead before straightening up again. He bade them all one last farewell before heading out the back door. The faint crack from outside could be heard in the kitchen.

After a few moments, Ginny looked at her mum again. The threat of tears from her stinging eyes had passed and had not left a trace. Her mum sighed, patting her hair. "You may go up to your room 'till lunch time, Ginny," she said after a moment. "I have laundry to do. I don't want you two bothering me. Ron, you can go use your father's wizards' chess board, since you are so adamant about it," she added. Ron's face lit up as he dashed from the room. Another moment passed before Ginny got down from the stool and walked out, then up to her room.

As soon as she reached her door, she went inside, slamming her door as best she could. She knew she would get it from her mum the next time she saw her, but she didn't care. She let out an angry yell in her room and then got in her bed, burying her face in her pillow.

She never had tantrums, so it was probably a shock to everyone in the Weasley family, not just to Ginny.

Didn't her mum realize she had tried to come home? She hadn't meant to stay out so long! Instead of freaking out in the woods, she had acted grown up and stayed calm. She had even met a new friend! All her mother could do was patronize, patronize, patronize. All Ginny heard when her mum spoke to her was blah, blah, blah, your brothers would never, blah, blah, blah, you have chores to do, blah, blah, blah, etc.

She was only seven years old, but from what most people would think from a glance at her life, she was the most unspoiled child in Devon, England.

All of her life, she was raised as a Weasley witch, which were rare in and of themselves. She certainly was not part of one the most wealthy wizarding families around, but they definitely had a loving family to make up for it.

She was a very intelligent young witch. She was only three when she could speak in complete sentences, and using words that sometimes even confused her elder brothers by the time she was four. Being the seventh Weasley of the family gave her a rather special quality on its own, for seven is the most magical number in existence. It would probably give her a completely special attribute on its own. But aside from that, she was also the first female Weasley born for several generations.

She had six older brothers, all of whom knew she was tough and certainly no one to mess with; although, that fact never stopped them from picking on her when they had the chance. Having six elder brothers and having to deal with them from the time she came home from the hospital had made her strong-willed, strong-headed, and strong in many other senses of the word. She was independent, and didn't like to accept help from others. She didn't like being worried about, although she was the one whom her family constantly fretted over. She wanted to be her own person, not just the Weasley girl or her brothers' little sister. It was hard to be her own person when she was always overshadowed by her brothers. Most of them were already in school and getting O.W.L.s to be proud of.

She was definitely not the spoiled one in the family. Her brothers were in some senses, but certainly not her. For once, she had really wanted to do something (i.e. go to this amazing camp she'd heard about), and she wasn't allowed to because money was still tight. Yet, somehow, her mum could still find the money to buy Fred and George those brooms the year before. She hated being resentful of her own brothers, but she couldn't help it this time.

Ginny closed her eyes again, and she took a deep breath. When she sat back up, she had on a calmer, more collected expression. She needed to take a shower and then get outside to start on her chores…

******–**PC, TPR**–**  


_Draco sat on his knees, looking at the carpeted floor of his father's study. His head hung shamefully and his brown hair hid his face from his father's view. Draco's clenched fists rested on his thighs and he could feel the tears threatening to spill while under his father's murderous glare. He knew his father was only being silent to torture Draco, whom knew what would come, but could not tell when. _

"_Father. I apologize. It was an accident! I didn't mean to—"_

"_Silence your snivelling, Draco," Lucius Malfoy said in an icy tone._

_Draco immediately shut his mouth, and his eyes closed tightly as he tried to imagine what his father was doing.  
_

"_If you insist on grovelling like this, you deserve to be treated no better than a house elf," his father spat, his eyes staring with pure anger down at his son. "As a Malfoy, you are meant to obey my orders. That means that when I instruct you to do something, you must do it correctly."_

_Draco heard his father sigh, and imagined him rising to his feet with the help of his cane. Draco didn't dare raise his head as his father walked to one of his bookshelves.  
_

_"You can forget about going to the Nott household for the birthday party."  
_

_It wasn't as bad a punishment as Draco had been expecting, and he raised his head in surprise when a large_ Thump!_ sound echoed across the room. He saw a book in his father's hands, and correctly assumed he had just snapped the book shut. He unintentionally met his father's eyes, and once he had, he could not look away._

_His father approached him and soon towered over him, making Draco have to meet his gaze in an uncomfortable position for his neck. The fists on his knees remained clenched in anxiety of what would happen next. Would his father strike him with the cane he held in his hand?  
_

_"You can also forget about accompanying your mother and I to the Banquet," he said, knowing exactly how disappointed his son would be.  
_

_Draco's eyes widened and his eyes started to sting from the threat of tears. He bit his lip in an attempt to keep from crying out. After a moment, he managed to speak in a voice on the verge of cracking.  
_

_"But, Father, I promise I won't embarrass you again. If it pleases you, I'll even keep my mouth shut the whole time. Please, Father! If I can go, I'll show you how well I can behave!"  
_

_His father had already turned away, and Draco felt his throat constrict and he could no longer go on. He had shamed the Malfoy name, and his father was disappointed in him. Things couldn't possibly get any worse.  
_

_"Get out of my sight, child," he heard his father growl out. _

_Draco stood and dashed from the room. He tripped while passing one of his mother's tea rooms reserved for gatherings. In the process of falling, he knocked over a vase from an end table in the hall, and landed on one of the broken glass pieces. He cried out in pain.  
_

_"Excuse me, ladies. I'll go deal with this," he heard his mother's voice say as she approached the doors. She opened them and saw her young son in the hall, bleeding from his arm and in a mess of shattered glass. Draco saw the disgusted look Narcissa Malfoy had on her face as she looked at him.  
_

_She closed the doors behind her and approached her son.  
_

_"Honestly, Draco. Are you _trying_ to embarrass us further still? Dobby!"_

_The house elf appeared at once, looking at the mess in front of him with big green eyes.  
_

_"Clean up this mess at once. And make sure my son gets himself cleaned up as well," Narcissa snapped, turning away from the scene and returning to the meeting with her associates without a second glance.  
_

_Draco watched in complete shock as his mother left. They really didn't care about him. Only about their image and the Malfoy reputation. He desperately wanted to impress his father and his mother, but so long as he continued being a screw-up, he'd never please them. The thought left Draco confused and angry with himself. Was he not trying hard enough? Is that why he kept disappointing them?  
_

_Perhaps if he**–**  
_

**********–**PC, TPR**–**

Draco awoke to find two big, brown eyes looking down at him. They were so close that Draco's own eyes nearly crossed, attempting to focus on the object above him. He shot up from his position on the couch, realizing too late it was a big mistake to do such a thing.

"Ow!"

Both children now held their foreheads with eyes screwed shut, trying to block out the pain. Neither one spoke for a moment, other than exclamations of pain. When Draco opened his eyes, Ginny was glaring at him, a hand still rubbing the red mark on her forehead.

"What was that for?" she asked loudly, and in an accusatory way.

"You're the one who was right above me in the first place. I'm not the one who caused it!" Draco's defensive, accusatory tone coupled with his cold, steel grey eyes were enough to make Ginny clamp her mouth shut. He continued to scowl at her, and she dropped her heated brown eyes to something that was in her hands.

Draco could still feel his heart pounding against his chest from the memory/nightmare, but it was slowly returning to normal. He was still trying to gather his bearings as he blinked in the light of the tent's lamps.

"Here, Draco," Ginny said with a smirk, placing something on his forehead, and apparently it stuck there. For a moment, he actually tried to see what it was, rolling his eyes up, much to Ginny's amusement. Ginny started laughing at him. Realizing he looked awfully stupid, Draco turned his eyes on her with another scowl, reaching his hand up to his forehead again.

"What is this?"

Ginny did not stop laughing, and Draco's scowl faded as his lips upturned. He couldn't help but smile, lifting his hand to feel whatever thing stuck to his forehead. It felt kind of rubbery but also kind of smooth. Draco could feel the edges, so he tried peeling whatever it was off his forehead. It hurt from the moment he started to take it off, and he quickly gave up on that method.

Finally, after a few more moments, Ginny managed to calm herself. Draco was just sitting there calmly, a smile playing at his lips as he watched her.

"If you're done laughing at my expense, do you mind telling me what this is?"

Ginny still had a silly grin on her face, but she responded nonetheless. "My dad says it's something muggles use to feel better and heal little things. It's called a bandeed ," she said matter-of-factly. She managed to wipe the grin from her face as she kneeled back down, sitting right in front of Draco.

"Muggles are strange. It hurts trying to take it off, and it's not doing anything," he muttered. That's when Draco noticed the pile of things by her side. His stomach growled at the sight of the food.

It wasn't long before Draco had finished the oatmeal. When he had finished eating, he thanked Ginny profusely before they went through the other things she had brought. They placed the things away in the cupboards of the kitchen as they went through them, and they put other things in the

A small box of bandeeds (there were only three bandeeds in it), magical colouring books, crayons, markers, some chocolates, a mini clock that actually worked and had the correct time, Muggle books, and more containers of oatmeal and other foods that Ginny had snagged. They had a grand time looking through it all, and even spent some time colouring in some of the colouring book pages and reading some of the Muggle books.

"I can make you some raisin bread tomorrow! My mum taught me how, and she says that I make it even better than her!" she boasted as she finished colouring a picture of a dragon. Ginny smiled at her handiwork as she sat up, brandishing the paper at Draco. Draco looked up from the Muggle storybook he had been entranced in to admire her work. He grinned.

"Sounds good, Gin," he told her, sitting up with the Muggle storybook, entitled Beauty and the Beast, in his hand. Ginny stood and left the picture on the table. The page depicted an orange dragon with blue eyes was flying around the blue and purple mountains in the background. It snorted out unevenly-coloured yellow steam from time to time.

Draco had just picked up the book, standing as well, when Ginny suddenly yelled. He looked at her in alarm, dropping the book.

"Oh no! I'm late! My mum will be up by now! Oh, I have to go!" she cried out. She had caught sight of the clock. Her mum would have been up for an hour by now, and Ginny would be expected to be in bed! Oh, this was not going to be good if she didn't get home soon. Draco's face fell, but he quickly masked it when she looked his way. "I'll be back tomorrow morning, okay?" she said with a smile, her freckled face lighting up for a moment.

Draco nodded dumbly as she suddenly dashed from the tent. Moments after she had left, his face broke out in a large, goofy smirk. With Ginny's help, maybe everything would turn out all right. _I could learn to like it here…_

**************–**PC, TPR**–**

"When's your birthday?"

"The eleventh of August I'll be eight. When's yours?"

"The fifth of June; I'm going to be nine this year," Draco informed her, looking at her from his position on the ground. She was sitting on a low tree branch that she had climbed upon, and she was looking up at a bird's nest a few branches above. He had chosen to stay on the ground.

After a brief pause, Draco asked, "What's today's date?"

"The twenty-third of March. Why?"

"It's been exactly one week since I met you, hasn't it?" he said, a smirk growing on his face as she slowly thought about it and realized the truth to his words. Ginny smiled down at him and nodded.

"So we met on the… seventeenth?"

"The sixteenth, Gin," Draco corrected with a playful roll of his eyes. He brushed his light brown bangs out of his eyes as he looked up at her.

She then looked at him with a sudden pout on her face and he knew what was coming next. "Help me down?" she pleaded, though she knew she really didn't have to plead. Draco always helped her get down. He also loved to tease her about how she was the best at getting into trees, but the worst at getting out of them. It was vice versa for Draco, though.

Draco stood up, not even bothering to brush the dirt from his pants, knowing he'd just end up getting them dirty again. He had a knowing smirk on his face, the one he always got when he was about to tease her, or when he was showing off to her. Ginny had really loosened him up, a feat she felt very proud of. He was not nearly as uptight as he had been when she first met him.

"The best at getting into trees—" Draco started, taking her hand with a firm grip and a cocky smirk, helping her to stand and find footing in a knothole of the tree.

That's when she felt her footing slip and everything came to a painful ending. Both Draco and Ginny tumbled to the ground, and when they finally came to a stop, Draco could barely breath. He opened his eyes and found that the reason he couldn't breathe was because Ginny had landed on top of him. Through his grimace, he managed to give her a small smile.

"—yet the worst at getting out of them," he finished with a shaky laugh, though it became a wheeze do to his inability to breathe in enough air. Ginny quickly scrambled off him, her face becoming a bright red at having fallen on him. She started to ramble out apologies as Draco sat up. He couldn't help but wince a little, suddenly clutching his ribcage. His mask always fell when around Ginny. It felt natural being around her, so he could rarely hide things from her these days.

He turned to look at her as she looked at him with a chagrined expression. He offered her a grin. "Don't worry about it, okay?" he said. "You have to leave soon, don't you?" he asked, glancing towards where the clearing and the tent were.

She shrugged, reluctant to go, turning her attention back to Draco. "I'm sorry. You okay?" she asked, standing up and helping Draco to his feet as well. Draco did his best to put on a brave front.

"I'll be fine," he said to her.

"Okay," she said, radiant smile lighting up her face as she leaned forward quickly and pecked him on his cheek. "See you later," she said, turning and dashing off. They had been stealing completely innocent kisses from one another since their 'three-day anniversary'. They were always brief, lasting less than a second. It was such an innocent gesture between the two of them, but it always made his heart pound. He and Ginny were very close, and Draco felt he could tell her anything. After all, friends aren't meant to keep secrets from one another.

Draco watched the red hair of Ginny until it disappeared from view. He completely forgot about the pain Ginny caused him. Was a Malfoy capable of caring so much for another person? Surely it was possible. Draco was convinced his father loved his mother very much.

_But are we capable of liking poor people, like Ginny…?_

**********–**PC, TPR**–**

Ginny lay in bed that night unable to sleep for the first hour. She couldn't stop thinking about the holidays and what would happen with Draco. She felt like it was her duty to convince Draco he needed to go home. The holidays were a time for family and Ginny was sure he'd want to go home if she convinced him his parents missed him terribly. He couldn't stay forever, no matter how much she wished it. He was becoming her best mate, and she didn't want their friendship to end.

Draco would have to leave eventually. She knew she was being selfish. His family was looking for him, and they were certainly worried sick… It was sad to think he'd have to go home soon, but surely her mum and dad could arrange play dates with his mum and dad. It was an interesting prospect.

Easter Sunday was in three days time, so she needed to convince him to go home by then.

With this goal in mind, Ginny drifted to sleep.

* * *

**Author's Note ****–** Thanks to all of my readers, especially those who review! Namely, I thank _RegretOrRejoice_ for the review! One more thing: I'd really like to know if it bothers anyone that I've been switching between Ginny and Draco's POV. I noticed it when rereading my first chapter, and felt that it might be confusing. If it is, just let me know in a review!

**Sneak Peak ****–** "…_one of horror at the realization of what she had done. _I broke my promise…_"_


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